Janine

Janine

Reliable, very fit & active, non-smoking - your house & pets would be in good hands

About Janine

I'm an English language teacher, proofreader and writer. From time to time I do different kinds of work, as I like variety, change and the opportunity to live in places that interest me. For example, a year ago I managed the busy kitchen for an outdoor leadership school in Alaska for the summer. I'm currently based in the Nelson region of New Z...

I'm an English language teacher, proofreader and writer. From time to time I do different kinds of work, as I like variety, change and the opportunity to live in places that interest me. For example, a year ago I managed the busy kitchen for an outdoor leadership school in Alaska for the summer. I'm currently based in the Nelson region of New Zealand and have been pet/house sitting almost continuously since early April. I'm completely trustworthy, resourceful if anything goes wrong, and communicate well with the people I'm sitting for. I'm relaxed, tolerant and fairly unflappable by nature - but take the responsibility of looking after other people's pets and property seriously. I'm fit and active, love swimming, kayaking, hiking, mountain biking - and trail running in particular. Reading, writing and watching films take up quite a bit of my indoors time. I'm a non-smoker.

Why I want to house sit

House and pet sitting provides me with a wonderful opportunity to be a little nomadic (which suits my current working style) but not feel homeless. When the house sits are in the Nelson region I'm able to teach part-time and do some media work at a local language school. I'm saving towards building a small, simple dwelling on a section I have down south. When the house sits are further afield I get to know a different place, which often provides new stimulus for writing. In either case, I can enjoy the company of well-loved animals and feel good about the arrangement being mutually beneficial. I am open to house sitting in other areas, both in NZ and overseas.

My experience

I spent 5 years of my early childhood in a small village at the edge of a jungle in Orissa, India. I was endlessly fascinated by the animals that crossed paths with us. We also had many different kinds of pets, including a donkey, goat, dog, a tortoise that liked to keep cool in our wells and ducks (Ping and Pong). Sometimes we did our best to look after rescued animals (usually they'd lost their mother) returning them to the wild if possible. That was a long time ago, and these days I'm more familiar with dogs, cats and donkeys, having had these pets at subsequent stages in my life. However, I'm confident around other animals and pretty good at following instructions so I'm open to all kinds of pet-sitting possibilities. I travel quite a lot, including longer stints working overseas from time to time, so it's not practical for me to have my own pets at the moment. With pet/house sitting I get to enjoy other peoples pets as well as have the chance to experience a new location. Within the past year I've looked after a young black lab, terrier and cat for a month; another boisterous black lab and 3-legged cat for a month; an elderly spaniel for 6 weeks; and 2 lovely cats for a few months. I am happy to provide contact details of referees.

Reviews (1)

Tricia And Matt - Nelson, New Zealand

19 October - 08 November 2017

Janine did a great job looking after our home, 2 dogs and cat for 3 weeks. She had kept up with needs of a young energetic labrador and made sure the dogs had plenty of walks. Good communication. Responsible and sensible house/pet sitter and left some nice things in the fridge to welcome us back. + More

Janine did a great job looking after our home, 2 dogs and cat for 3 weeks. She had kept up with needs of a young energetic labrador and made sure the dogs had plenty of walks. Good communication. Responsible and sensible house/pet sitter and left some nice things in the fridge to welcome us back.

Organised

Reliable

Self-sufficient

Tidy

Pet care

Response from Janine

Tricia and Matt's animal family were really fun to look after and their house a delight to stay in. I enjoyed the beautiful views, great places to walk the dogs nearby, close proximity to town. I had all the information I needed and communication was good throughout the sit. The friendly local dog-walking community was a real bonus!

- Less

View Review (1)

About Janine

I'm an English language teacher, proofreader and writer. From time to time I do different kinds of work, as I like variety, change and the opportunity to live in places that interest me. For example, a year ago I managed the busy kitchen for an outdoor leadership school in Alaska for the summer. I'm currently based in the Nelson region of New Zealand and have been pet/house sitting almost continuously since early April. I'm completely trustworthy, resourceful if anything goes wrong, and communicate well with the people I'm sitting for. I'm relaxed, tolerant and fairly unflappable by nature - but take the responsibility of looking after other people's pets and property seriously. I'm fit and active, love swimming, kayaking, hiking, mountain biking - and trail running in particular. Reading, writing and watching films take up quite a bit of my indoors time. I'm a non-smoker.

I'm an English language teacher, proofreader and writer. From time to time I do different kinds of work, as I like variety, change and the opportunity to live in places that interest me. For example, a year ago I managed the busy kitchen for an outdoor leadership school in Alaska for the summer. I'm currently based in the Nelson region of New Zealand and have been pet/house sitting almost continuously since early April. I'm completely trustworthy, resourceful if anything goes wrong, and communicate well with the people I'm sitting for. I'm relaxed, tolerant and fairly unflappable by nature - but take the responsibility of looking after other people's pets and property seriously. I'm fit and active, love swimming, kayaking, hiking, mountain biking - and trail running in particular. Reading, writing and watching films take up quite a bit of my indoors time. I'm a non-smoker.

Why I want to house sit

House and pet sitting provides me with a wonderful opportunity to be a little nomadic (which suits my current working style) but not feel homeless. When the house sits are in the Nelson region I'm able to teach part-time and do some media work at a local language school. I'm saving towards building a small, simple dwelling on a section I have down south. When the house sits are further afield I get to know a different place, which often provides new stimulus for writing. In either case, I can enjoy the company of well-loved animals and feel good about the arrangement being mutually beneficial. I am open to house sitting in other areas, both in NZ and overseas.

My experience

I spent 5 years of my early childhood in a small village at the edge of a jungle in Orissa, India. I was endlessly fascinated by the animals that crossed paths with us. We also had many different kinds of pets, including a donkey, goat, dog, a tortoise that liked to keep cool in our wells and ducks (Ping and Pong). Sometimes we did our best to look after rescued animals (usually they'd lost their mother) returning them to the wild if possible. That was a long time ago, and these days I'm more familiar with dogs, cats and donkeys, having had these pets at subsequent stages in my life. However, I'm confident around other animals and pretty good at following instructions so I'm open to all kinds of pet-sitting possibilities. I travel quite a lot, including longer stints working overseas from time to time, so it's not practical for me to have my own pets at the moment. With pet/house sitting I get to enjoy other peoples pets as well as have the chance to experience a new location. Within the past year I've looked after a young black lab, terrier and cat for a month; another boisterous black lab and 3-legged cat for a month; an elderly spaniel for 6 weeks; and 2 lovely cats for a few months. I am happy to provide contact details of referees.